If you’ve taken a look at my Instagram lately, you’d know that my husband and I have recently gotten a new addition to our family. Her name is Delilah and she has the sweetest little face and puppy dog eyes either one of us have ever seen. Even my husband, who was flat out against having any pet, not to mention an INSIDE pet, is completely smitten. So smitten in fact, that he spent an entire Saturday with me (8 hours, legit), putting together and painting her little castle.
The Kennel Hunt
We knew that we wanted to leave her outside while we’re at work so she wasn’t in a confined space all day, so I spent days looking for a suitable kennel; to be brutally disappointed with the range. I went as far as thinking about buying her an old cubby but that is where my husband drew the line.
Then I found the most adorable little castle kennel and already had a vision on what I could do with it. The best part was that it wasn’t much more expensive than a traditional kennel which meant I could paint it any colour we wanted. Delilah’s cuteness pretty much paid for the paint because when we took her to the hardware store, the lovely gentleman who helped us purposely put the paint we purchased in a dented canister so he could reduce it for us for more than half the price. Dogs are such an investment I tell you!
Materials
- Outdoor weatherproof undercoat and primer
- Dulux Outdoor Paint – Candy Pink
- Paint Brushes
Method
- Start with constructing the overall body of the kennel.
- We didn’t do any prep or sanding as the undercoat seemed to go on fine without it.
- Using an outdoor and weatherproof undercoat, cover the original timber colour. We did two very thin coats of this to ensure a smooth application of the final color. (Make sure you allow adequate dry time between each coat to avoid clumping)
- After confirming the undercoat had dried, start to paint with the primary colour (we picked Dulux Outdoor Candy Pink).
- Add a second coat of your primary colour, to smooth and brighten the timber.
- Using masking tape, edge off the trim, and paint that over it in a ceiling white.
- After drying, add the rest of the roof and features of the kennel and paint the trim and any extras.
- Add some letters to spell out your pets name. I painted some cheapies from the nearest craft store and attached them with wood glue.
- I also found the cutest little patio I thought would be adorable for Delilah to lie on, on the warmer days, so we painted that the same colour and popped it at the entrance, with some plants to frame. She chewed up the bannisters of the patio as well as the pot plants, the very next day.
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